GFRP solutions: The Melbourne Metro case

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) solutions are frequently used for several applications in civil engineering due to the many benefits of GFRP compared to alternative, conventional materials:

In mining and tunneling, this composite technology has successfully been used for decades, and GFRP is now also available for soil nails and tieback ground anchors.

A perfect showcase of latest GFRP solutions available is the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project, a major enhancement to Melbourne’s rail network: a multibillion-dollar project comprising the design and construction of twin nine-kilometre tunnels and five underground stations.

Dextra supported the project team with its technical expertise on GFRP at design stage and manufactured the GFRP solutions as per the project’s requirements:

Combination Bolts: Used as temporary measure to secure the center walls of the 19m wide caverns during construction of two conventional 7m tunnels.

Soil Nails: Secures the sations walls. The anchors can remain in the ground as material properties allow for easy cutting at later stage.

Soft-Eyes: Enables disruption-free penetration of the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) through the thick concrete diaphragm walls of five stations.

For more information, visit:
Website: www.dextragroup.com
Email: bjog@dextragroup.com